Timepiece



"Aug. 18, 1936. E. E. ULMANN' 2,051,761

TIMEPIECE 'Original Filed Dec. 19, 1929' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Elmond 0 05 L /marm I R] mg Aug-18,1936J ELEULMANN 2,051,761

TIMEPIEGE Original Filed Dec. 19','-1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ec/rvromf [t /10$ U/mlmn INVENTQR;

D Attorney.

Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIMEPIEC'E Application December 19, 1929, Serial No. 415,226.

Renewed October 18,

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in instruments such as stop watches, whereby their several parts will be made more substantial and their number reduced, thus simplifying the functioning of these instruments.

The invention has further for its object to facilitate the dismounting of such instruments.

An instrument such as a time-piece or stop watch whereby the above mentioned results are attained is specified in the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the several parts of a time-piece, only the supports of the other movable parts being indicated.

Fig. 2 is a section of the same on a larger scale on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The said time-piece is constructed in the following manner.

' In the bored shaft of the seconds pinion I I disposed at the center of the clockwork is mounted a long rod I2 pivoted at each end. The lower end turns in a bearing I8 and carries the hand I2 of. the timepiece. The upper end turns in the cross piece of the timepiece. The bearing part at the end of the rod is not in contact with the said cross-piece, so that the said rod can move axially with reference to the seconds pinion II, the play being limited by a pressure spring I6.

The lower pivoting end of the pinion II rotates in the plate 26; the upper pivoting end traverses a special supporting cross-piece 24, and it carries on its outer end a cup-shaped member I! whose interior has the form of a striated paraboloid comprising very numerous fine lines, as indicated at I 'I'.

The long rod I2 carries a cylinder or a tapered part I3 which is striated at I3 in the same manner as the said cup-shaped member and serves as a driving pinion. Upon the rod I2 are also mounted two members to which is secured a disk I4 carrying a pin I4 which, when the apparatus starts, is adjacent the auxiliary wheel I9 of the apparatus, and, at each minute, the said pin moves forward the wheels I 9 and 20 by one tooth, due to the cross-member 2I holding the wheels except when moved by the pin. The wheel 20 carries the hand 20' of the apparatus, and also a first member 35 for the setting to zero. To the aforesaid rod I2 is also secured a zero-setting member I5 which is rotatable with the said rod I2.

The engagement and release between the long rod I2 carrying the indicating hand of the timepiece, and of the seconds pinion II are efiected by the following mechanism.

1934. In France March A spring strip 8 is secured in the fixed position at .one end; the other end being free, and having the shape of a fork, which end is engaged upon the said rod I2 and applies it against the disk I4. The said strip 8 has a step 8' and rests by means of a bearing portion 8 upon a bell-crank lever 'I, urged by a spring 9, and actuated by a pivoting lever 6 comprising a projection 6' engaging a ratchet wheel (or lantern wheel) 4. The stroke of said bell-crank lever is limited by the stop II].

The push-piece 36 of the timepiece actuates the large rocker arm I urged by a spring 2, and it rotates the said ratchet wheel 4 by means of the pawl 3.

The operation of the said apparatus is as follows:

1. To start the apparatus, the push-piece 30 is lowered, thus turning the said rocker arm I which acts by means of its pawl 3 to rotate the ratchet wheel 4.

When rotating, one of the pins of the ratchet wheel 4 meets and drives back the said projection 6 of the said lever 6 whose end is in contact with the said bell-crank lever I. The end of this latter will thus allow the descent of. the said strip 8 which constantly bears upon the same, and which moves from the step 8' and proceeds upon the bearing portion 8" (Fig. 2).

The said spring strip 8 thus releases the disk I4, and the pinion I3 makes contact with the said member I'I, so that the rod I2 rotates together with the pinion I I, the pressure of the pinion I3 upon the said member I1 being assured by the spring I6.

2. To stop the apparatus, the said push-piece 3B is actuated, and this, through the medium of the arm I, the spring 2, the pawl 3, turns the said ratchet wheel 4. The projection 6' thus passes between two pins of the wheel.

The lever I, pivoting by the action of the spring 9, returns in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 2) from 8 to 8 and raises the releasing spring 8. The forked end of said spring raises the disk I4 together with the device I2-I3, whereby the release is effected, since the pinion I3 is no longer engaged with the member I1, and the pin I4 is out of the plane of the wheel I9.

3. To set the apparatus to zero, the push-piece 30 is actuated, and this latter, through the said ratchet wheel 4, releases the arm 22 which under the action of the spring 23 presses by means of its two pointed ends 404I upon the disks situated at the center and on the shaft of the meter, so that the two hands will be returned to zero. The lifting action of spring 8, as described in the preceding paragraph, also raises member l5 and brings it into the plane of arm 22, so that actuation of arm 22 will cause end 4| thereof to force member l5 and hence rod i2 and the timepiece hand back to a zero position.

The invention further covers the special disposition of the winding mechanism which is mounted at the side. of the dial either above or below the main plate, in such manner as to entirely disengage the support of the spring barrel, which carries a great number of the parts of the timepiece, and in this manner the apparatus can be readily taken apart for changing a spring or for cleaning, since the support of the said barrel can in fact be removed without interfering with the parts which cover it.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a seconds pinion having a hollow shaft, driving means associated with said pinion, a rod passing freely through the interior of said hollow shaft, an indieating hand carried by said rod, a cup-shaped member rigidly attached to said hollow shaft, and having its inner surface finely striated, a disk rigidly attachedto said rod and having its lower edge finely striated, means tending to urge said disk into said cuprshaped member, a lever adapted to release said disk from contact with said cupshaped member, means controlling the movements of said lever, and an actuating element engaging said controlling means whereby the indicating hand may be successively set in motionor te ped-l 2. In apparatus of the class described, a secondspinion haying a hollow shaft, driving means associated with said pinion, a rod passing freely through the i nt erior of said, hollow shaft, ahand r d y a d, red cup-rshamd ember ly taq ad e a h l n haft, a; di k idly attached to said rod, means tending to urge id ii s 9 aid pr h pe membe a co disk secured tov rod, a stud mounted on; said second" disk, a wheel adapted to be engaged by said tud mean cludin no her andad n ed to be driven by said wheel, and a lever adapted to release said disk from said cup-shaped memher and to simultaneously disengage said stud from said wheel.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a seconds pinion having a hollow shaft, driving means associated with said pinion, a rod passing freely through the interior of said hollow shaft and carrying a time indicator, a cup-shaped member rig idly attached to said hollow shaft and having its inner surface finely striated, a disk rigidly attached to said rod and having its lower edge finely striated, means tending to urge said disk into said cup-shaped member, a second disk attached to said rod, a stud mounted on said second disk, a wheel adapted to be engaged by said stud, another indicator, the said Wheel being adapted to actuate said otherindicator, and a lever adapted to release said first disk from said cup-shaped member and to simultaneously disengage said stud rom, the. said: W l.

t. n inst m nt used as a timepiece, a ri en. cond pinion, a. a d-carryin shaft rb llr ree of a y onnection with and movable axially with respect to the. seconds pinion, coupling means for connecting and disconnectingv the ion ndsha t. for movement or the. shaftum er the flue qeo th -pi ion, saidmeansincluclnc conc v d m m r con ect d: torthe pinion d acqop t na pla n ember Connectedto the shaft, the cooperating, surfaces of the Qoncayed member and e pla n member being striated, an element guided by the shaft and; movable lonitudi al o the sha t or contlzo l n the nection and disconnection of the coupling means, a. member qqpne atin with he. element; to. force the element to a position todisconnectptha cone pling; means, or to, permit, thev element tov move. to a position to permit connection of thecoupling m a s and manual ontrol me hanism fo soverning; movement of thememberinitsrelation to the, eleme tv EDMOND ELIAS; 

